Friday, 21 December 2012

Bereavement - Things Fall Apart

Everything breaks and all kinds of ordinary things disappear just when we need them. The Good Fella's i-phone breaks, so does his Dad's mobile and the landline goes offline. Communication is fractured.

The Piglet's vests and knickers go into that mysterious astrological phenomenon in every home which ordinarily only sucks up odd socks. (Yes, the vests and knickers which the Good Fella's mom was going to buy but she didn't get the chance to and I had to get them on my own.) The Piglet complains that her school shoes pinch her feet but howls and wails when I try to cut her toenails which are digging into the ends of the shoes. We all shout at each other then try to remember that everyone is suffering and give each other a hug instead.

One of the centres of our life has gone, things fall apart as if a centrifugal force that once pulled them in particular directions has suddenly disappeared. Unprepared for the vacuum which opens up in a place once full of attraction, we fall over in our efforts not to fall into the void. Slowly we become accustomed to new lines of gravitational pull towards others who become more important in our lives with the loss of someone who was so fundamental to us. We resent it. But we carry on.